What characterizes parents? Comparing the stereotype of parents with the stereotypes of mothers and fathers

The present study investigated people’s stereotypes of the superordinate category parents, in comparison with mother and father stereotypes; namely communion and agency dimensions, as well as their sub-facets: warmth, morality, assertiveness, and competence. The results of free responses and trait ratings revealed a parent-mother similarity in people’s parental stereotypes. Particularly, people were more likely to think of a mother when considering an average parent and people’s stereotypes about parents align more with mother stereotypes. These findings suggest that people’s mental representations of parents are biased toward mothers and their perceptions of mothers shape parent stereotypes.